Globe publisher Ainsley to retire

Credit: Will Nunnally

Boston Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley is leaving the embattled broadsheet after three years at the helm, according to two Globe employees briefed on the matter.

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Boston Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley is leaving the embattled broadsheet after three years at the helm.

In a memo to staff today, Ainsley said he is retiring effective Jan. 1 after more than three decades in the newspaper business, 27 of them with the New York Times Co., which owns the Globe.

Christopher M. Mayer, senior vice president of circulation and operations, will replace him.

“While the past few years have been difficult for our business, the tremendous show of commitment to this institution from everyone who works here has been deeply meaningful to me,” Ainsley wrote. “In challenging times you have made every day enormously gratifying for me.”

The Herald was first to report that Ainsley was stepping down, citing two Globe employees briefed on the matter. Reached by phone earlier today, Ainsley declined comment.

Of his nearly 32 years in the newspaper business, Ainsley said his three years at the Globe “rank as among my most satisfying.” Ainsley acknowledged his successor in his memo.

“Those of you who have worked with Chris know just how capable, forward-thinking and inclusive a leader he is. His deep knowledge of all aspects of our business and industry will serve the Globe and Boston.com very well in the years ahead,” he wrote.

Janet Robinson, chief executive officer of The New York Times Co., which owns the Globe, sent a memo to staff members announcing Mayer as the new Globe publisher.

“Chris has a proven track record with broad range of experience,” she wrote. “This has enabled him to establish a strong history of tackling complex projects, working across all segments of the organization and producing impressive results.”

Robinson said Ainsley has done “an extraordinary job guiding The Boston Globe through a substantial economic downturn and dramatic changes in the media landscape.”

Reaction to the news was mixed.

Mary White, president of the paper’s mailers union, praised Ainsley.

“Steve Ainsley seemed genuinely concerned about the Globe. He made a point to know everyone’s names, and seemed to genuinely appreciate the work people did,” she said.

White added that she was “surprised, but very pleased” by the appointment of Mayer, a longtime Globe employee who used to work as the paper’s production manager.

Ainsley’s exit follows months of tumultuous union battles and deep budget cuts sparked by the Times Co.’s threat to shut down the paper unless its unions forked over $20 million in concessions. The Times Co. had recently tried to sell the newspaper but took it off the market two weeks ago.

Ainsley, 56, made $1.9 million in 2008 as Globe publisher.

The Herald has reported that Ainsley would get more than $1.2 million should he resign or retire, according to the Time Co.’s 2009 proxy statement.

A native New Yorker, Ainsley moved to the Globe in 2006 from the Times Co.’s Regional Media Group in Florida. He replaced Richard Gilman as Globe publisher.